Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
...and I did. In the thread about my efforts to regain driving priveleges, I mentioned buying the neighbor's Dakota. Well, I bought the neighbor's Dakota and I'm already referring to it as "The Goat".
It's not a bad little truck for $500. It's a '92 LE, 3.9L Magnum/5-speed, 4WD extended cab. It has typical rust issues, but far less than one would expect to see in this area after 22 years. It's a little soft in the extended-cab area, the driver's floorpan has got a hole, and the lower edge of the outer tailgate's ragged. The rear bumper was smote by the rust gods--helped along by the former owner's attempt to move what was apparently a redwood by getting a running start with a chain. :doh: I ordered a new step bumper for it ($160 W/brackets) and I'm just going to patch the other areas I feel need attention.
Mechanically, it's pretty much a gem where the big stuff is concerned. It runs quite well; I was surprised at how snappy the little six is. The clutch is in good shape, and the original R12 freon is still in the ice-cold AC after 144,000 miles. The 4WD works perfectly. The previous owner put less than 200 miles on it in almost a decade of ownership. I put an unnecessary new Mopar starter in it a couple of years back (it was/is the positive battery cable, which needs a proper repair end) and the truck had not moved from that spot since. The fuel pump is questionable, but I'm not 100% sure that's the problem just yet... I'll know more when I lift the box off it. Realistically, once that's sorted it could be driven the way it is, but since I have the luxury of some time before it's needed and a hoist at the shop, I'm going to take care of some things I'd rather not wait to become a real issue.
Like every other LA-based Magnum engine, it needs a plenum gasket. While I'm at that I'm going to do the cap/rotor/plugs/wires and swap the belt and idler/tensioner pulleys, which only make noise when the air is running. The radiator's a little soft at the bottom but holding; a new one's on the way, as are the hoses which are the truck's original 1992 equipment. The exhaust system has a new muffler but the pipes are getting a bit ugly, so I'm going to do a pre-emptive strike there and change those at work, and while it's in the air I'll repair the rotten front-to-rear brake line. Just a lot of little, inexpensive stuff. I'm putting new parking-brake cables in it, since I hate the "leave it in gear and call it good" mindset. Just a lot of little, inexpensive stuff really, so I'm not terribly bothered by the work it needs. Like I said, I have time to accomplish this stuff and none of it's expensive ($123 for a fuel pump, $89 for a radiator). I'll have less than $1,000 into the whole shebang when I'm done, including the price of the truck. That's a steal for a fairly-solid 4WD truck in these parts... normally that kind of cash will get you a beat-down '82 Ford with a 300 six and rust to the door handles if the 4WD works.
If any of you current/former Dakota owners are aware of problems spots I should check, please chime in here and let me know. I have a 20+ mile commute, so reliability is of the utmost and I'd like to address anything sooner rather than later.
It's not a bad little truck for $500. It's a '92 LE, 3.9L Magnum/5-speed, 4WD extended cab. It has typical rust issues, but far less than one would expect to see in this area after 22 years. It's a little soft in the extended-cab area, the driver's floorpan has got a hole, and the lower edge of the outer tailgate's ragged. The rear bumper was smote by the rust gods--helped along by the former owner's attempt to move what was apparently a redwood by getting a running start with a chain. :doh: I ordered a new step bumper for it ($160 W/brackets) and I'm just going to patch the other areas I feel need attention.
Mechanically, it's pretty much a gem where the big stuff is concerned. It runs quite well; I was surprised at how snappy the little six is. The clutch is in good shape, and the original R12 freon is still in the ice-cold AC after 144,000 miles. The 4WD works perfectly. The previous owner put less than 200 miles on it in almost a decade of ownership. I put an unnecessary new Mopar starter in it a couple of years back (it was/is the positive battery cable, which needs a proper repair end) and the truck had not moved from that spot since. The fuel pump is questionable, but I'm not 100% sure that's the problem just yet... I'll know more when I lift the box off it. Realistically, once that's sorted it could be driven the way it is, but since I have the luxury of some time before it's needed and a hoist at the shop, I'm going to take care of some things I'd rather not wait to become a real issue.
Like every other LA-based Magnum engine, it needs a plenum gasket. While I'm at that I'm going to do the cap/rotor/plugs/wires and swap the belt and idler/tensioner pulleys, which only make noise when the air is running. The radiator's a little soft at the bottom but holding; a new one's on the way, as are the hoses which are the truck's original 1992 equipment. The exhaust system has a new muffler but the pipes are getting a bit ugly, so I'm going to do a pre-emptive strike there and change those at work, and while it's in the air I'll repair the rotten front-to-rear brake line. Just a lot of little, inexpensive stuff. I'm putting new parking-brake cables in it, since I hate the "leave it in gear and call it good" mindset. Just a lot of little, inexpensive stuff really, so I'm not terribly bothered by the work it needs. Like I said, I have time to accomplish this stuff and none of it's expensive ($123 for a fuel pump, $89 for a radiator). I'll have less than $1,000 into the whole shebang when I'm done, including the price of the truck. That's a steal for a fairly-solid 4WD truck in these parts... normally that kind of cash will get you a beat-down '82 Ford with a 300 six and rust to the door handles if the 4WD works.
If any of you current/former Dakota owners are aware of problems spots I should check, please chime in here and let me know. I have a 20+ mile commute, so reliability is of the utmost and I'd like to address anything sooner rather than later.
